How to find your highest ROI automation opportunities

Not every process in your business is worth automating.

The key to making AI automation pay for itself is to focus on the workflows that deliver the fastest, biggest return on investment.

Here’s a framework SMBs can use to identify high-ROI automation opportunities before they commit time or budget.

Start with repetitive, rules-based tasks

Look for processes that are done frequently, follow a clear set of steps, and don’t require complex judgment calls.

Examples include invoice creation, report generation, lead assignment, and onboarding sequences.

The more repetitive the task, the faster the payoff from automation.

Target time-heavy processes

A good benchmark: if a task takes more than 5 hours a month for one team member, it’s worth considering for automation.

Time saved here compounds quickly, especially in small teams where a few hours per person can free up entire days across the company.

Look for error-prone workflows

Manual data entry, copy-pasting between systems, and relying on humans for routine updates often leads to costly mistakes.

Automating these tasks not only saves time but improves accuracy—reducing the need for fixes later.

Focus on processes that delay revenue

Anything that slows your sales cycle or delays billing is an automation priority.

This could be automating proposal generation, speeding up contract approvals, or streamlining payment reminders.

Check for processes with multiple handoffs

The more people and tools involved in a process, the more opportunities there are for delays.

Automation can ensure data flows instantly and consistently between systems without waiting for human intervention.

Consider the emotional and customer experience impact

Some automations don’t just save time—they reduce frustration.

For example, automatically routing customer support requests to the right rep can drastically improve response times and satisfaction scores.

Score your opportunities

Create a simple scoring system:

• Impact: High, medium, low (how much time/money will it save?)
• Frequency: Daily, weekly, monthly (how often does it happen?)
• Ease: Simple, moderate, complex (how hard is it to automate?)

The processes with the highest combined scores should be tackled first.

Get automated

Finding the right opportunities is the difference between automations that collect dust and automations that transform your business.

📅 Book your free 30‑min call → I’ll walk you through a process audit, identify your highest‑ROI opportunities, and get your first automation live in 7 days or less. Schedule now